<p>Hey guys! Just curious if anyone has ever done this program? (It's like 10 weeks, with four practice tests.)
I won a scholarship through my school, so I get to take the program for free and was curious of the general opinion of the program.</p>
<p>Well, if it’s for free, then it isn’t that bad for you. I have taken it, but I found it too be inefficient compared to self-studying the SAT tests from the Blue Book. The proctored practice exams do help in that you get extra practice and feel for the real testing condition, but you should also self-study from the Official SAT Study Guide to maximize your score.</p>
<p>I took it a year ago. It helped my score maybe 100 points, but for the amount of time and money invested into it, the program was not worth it.</p>
<p>The entire program got overhauled this summer (2010). I can’t say if it’s more or less effective than it was before, but I’d give more weight to comments from people who took it since September.</p>
<p>(No offense to Wedgedawg!)</p>
<p>Really, do you know how the program was overhauled?
The other girl in our school who had won the scholarship last year had her score improve around 200 points, so I’m hoping for similar results! haha.
I really want a 2200, so those 100 or 200 points could really make the difference!</p>
<p>Sure. The 10 sessions look like this: test, class, class, test, class, class, test, class, test, class.</p>
<p>The tests are intended to be as SAT-like as possible, but of course they are designed by Kaplan and not by Collegeboard. I don’t know for certain if there are any real differences between them.</p>
<p>Each class is divided into three topics (each one is an hour long). Typically, you’ll do three math topics on some days, and combinations of CR/W on other days. For each topic, you should have about 20-25 minutes of instruction, followed by 20-25 minutes of group work (where the groups are divided by ability level and assigned easier or harder problems accordingly) followed by 10 minutes of independent practice.</p>
<p>Between classes, you are supposed to go online and complete a bunch of homework. Usually, there are several videos to watch (they teach you the basic concepts), some problems to work, and then quizzes to test your mastery of the skills. I get the feeling that the videos are annoying because there are SO many of them. But, I’ve also heard some people find them useful. And they are apparently fairly short.</p>
<p>Honestly, here’s what I think: probably, the real benefit comes from the repeated practice. If you are disciplined to practice on your own, then Kaplan might be a waste of money. But if Kaplan would be the external push that made you practice when you otherwise wouldn’t, then it’s probably worth it.</p>
<p>Remember also that it’s EASY to raise someone’s score 200 points when they are starting from 1400 (yes . . . for all three sections!). It is a lot harder to go from a 2000 to a 2200. I don’t know how that figures into your calculations, but it’s something to think about.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the wonderful information! I understand the last point, about the added 200 points. I’m hoping that the class will help me with the CR sections, because that is most definitely my weak point!</p>